Missteps Marking a Tough Road for Scott Brown in NH

Scott Brown's path to a U.S. Senate seat from New Hampshire grows ever rockier, with his latest gaffe on immigration following on a series of missteps that have seen him fall behind in the polls to Democrat incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, The Huffington Post reports.

Brown, who served one term as a senator from Massachusetts, only to lose to Democrat Elizabeth Warren in 2012, has offered curious responses on immigration reform, the Affordable Care Act, as well as the recent Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case, the Post noted.

Among his latest gaffes is an op-ed piece he penned in the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper blaming President Obama for the border problems and criticizing offers of in-state tuition to illegal immigrants for the influx. Brown, however, voted to approve such tuition benefits while serving in the Massachusetts state Senate in 2004.

His excuse for the blunder on his own record: he got confused by a late-night budget amendment vote.

Brown, who has been endorsed by Mitt Romney as an "independent voice," also has forgotten repeatedly where he's campaigning, talking in speeches about the citizens of Massachusetts — not New Hampshire, where he trails Shaheen by 10 points, according to a Real Clear Politics average.

One Republican strategist from New Hampshire told The Hill that Brown's polling numbers should be of concern. "You don’t ever want to be underwater at this point in a race," the strategist, who requested anonymity said in late July.

Brown has gone after his opponent on immigration, as Congress struggles to create meaningful reform, Politico noted. A series of political ads he has run ties her to Obama and says they have created a "crisis."